February 26, 2024
Efren Landaos/Sipa USA
'Tires,' a new comedy series from Shane Gillis, has been picked up by Netflix. The streaming platform also has ordered another Gillis stand-up special following the success of 'Beautiful Dogs.'
Fresh off hosting "Saturday Night Live," comedian and Mechanicsburg native Shane Gillis has reached a deal with Netflix to stream a new comedy series that will premiere in May. He's also getting another stand-up special on the streaming platform.
The six-episode series, called "Tires," is based on a pilot concept that Gillis previously posted on YouTube. It revolves around a man who tries to turn around his dad's struggling auto repair chain and runs into problems with his cousin and now employee, played by Gillis.
The project will be directed by Philadelphia native John McKeever, who teamed up with Gillis to create Dad Sick Productions and produced Gillis' hit Netflix stand-up special "Beautiful Dogs," Deadline reported.
Gillis and McKeever also worked together on the TV series and sketch-comedy special "Gilly and Keeves." McKeever directed and starred in "Delco Proper," the short-lived series that riffed on the unique culture of Delaware County and was briefly picked up as a Comedy Central web series, among other projects.
"Tires" also will star Steven Gerben, Chris O’Connor, Kilah Fox and Stavros Halkias, Deadline reported. It's written by Gillis, McKeever and Gerben, who also had a minor role in "Delco Proper."
The streaming deal comes after "Beautiful Dogs" reached the Netflix Top 10 in five countries and held a spot in the U.S. Top 10 for two weeks. Gillis will get to follow that up on Netlix and also will perform two live shows at the second Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival in May, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Gillis, 36, has had a controversial rebound after nearly losing his first opportunity to enter the comedy mainstream five years ago. Shortly after being hired as a full-time "SNL" cast member in 2019, Gillis was fired over the resurfacing of some of his old material. Clips from his past included Asian slurs and imitations of Chinese people along with homophobic, Islamic and sexist remarks.
Gillis attempted to make light of his unlikely return to "SNL" during his monologue.
"Most of you probably have no idea who I am," Gillis said. "I was actually, I was fired from this show a while ago. But, you know, don't look that up, please. If you don't know who I am, please don't Google that. It's fine, don't even worry about it."
In addition to the new projects with Netflix, Gillis also recently got an endorsement deal with Bud Light, which found itself caught in a PR storm last year after promoting a social media campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Gillis has a popular podcast with Philly-based comedian Matt McCusker, "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast." His debut comedy special, "Shane Gillis: Live in Austin," was released on YouTube and has more than 24 million views.
